Clip raster data

You have a raster image of a historical paper map of Hallstatt, Austria, that you want to use as a background layer in ArcGIS Pro. However, the image is much larger than your area of interest. The unneeded parts of the image take up storage space and increase the image processing time. In this tutorial, you'll make a copy of the raster image that is clipped to the area of interest. Because you have other raster datasets you want to clip for the same reason, you'll perform batch processing to clip all of them at once. Lastly, you'll package the results as a project package so they can all be shared as one file.

This tutorial was last tested on April 15, 2026, using ArcGIS Pro 3.6. If you're using a different version of ArcGIS Pro, you may encounter different functionality and results.

Requirements

• ArcGIS Pro (see options for software access)

Clip raster data

Review the data

First, you'll download a project package with the data you'll use in the tutorial. Then, you'll explore the image you plan to clip.

1. Download the Hallstatt_Clip project package.
2. Browse to the downloaded file and double-click it to open the project in ArcGIS Pro. If necessary, sign in using your licensed ArcGIS account.

   Note:

   If you don't have access to ArcGIS Pro or an ArcGIS organizational account, see options for software access.

   The project contains a raster layer, Hallstatt_HistoricDrawing.JP2, showing a scanned paper map of Hallstatt and the surrounding region.

   

   Note:

   This scanned map was provided to you already georeferenced in the MGI Austria GK Central coordinate system, meaning it was located spatially to display at the correct Earth location in a GIS such as ArcGIS Pro. To learn how to work with a scanned map or photo that has not yet been georeferenced, try the Georeference historical imagery in ArcGIS Pro tutorial.

   Scanned maps are often scanned drawings or photos. Because they are digital forms of a picture or drawing, they tend to not be useful for analysis but can still be used for visual context as a background layer. This historical hand-drawn map of the Hallstatt area is from the years 1824 to 1830. It offers a historical perspective on Hallstatt's development.

   It is a standard RGB color image, represented as a three-band raster (red, green, and blue bands). The Contents pane provides more context:

   

   Note:

   Digital images created with standard cameras or scanners are often stored in the RGB color model, which means that they are composed of three rasters for red, green, and blue. Such images can be readily displayed in ArcGIS Pro like any multiband raster dataset.

   The map also contains a few more layers that are turned off and not displayed on the map. These include a feature layer showing Hallstatt's boundary, which is your area of interest. The other layers are a digital elevation model (DEM) and digital surface model (DSM) of the area, which you also want to clip.

3. In the Contents pane, check the Hallstatt Boundary check box.

   The layer turns on. It covers only a small area of the historic map.

   

   This area represents your area of interest: the town of Hallstatt. The parts of the historic image outside this area aren't of interest to you.

4. In the Contents pane, uncheck the Hallstatt_HistoricDrawing.JP2 check box to turn it off. Turn on Hallstatt_DSM.tif.

   The DSM is an elevation layer that shows the elevation of an area and its surface features, such as vegetation and buildings. Though smaller than the historic map image, it's also larger than the area of interest.

   

5. Turn on Hallstatt_DEM.tif.

   The DEM covers the same area as the DSM and looks similar. It shows the elevation of the ground, without surface features.

6. Turn off Hallstatt Boundary, Hallstatt_DEM.tif, and Hallstatt_DSM.tif. Turn on Hallstatt_HistoricDrawing.JP2.

   Next, you'll zoom to Hallstatt to get a better sense of what the historic image shows in that area.

7. On the ribbon, click the Map tab. In the Navigate group, click Bookmarks and choose Hallstatt.

   

   The map navigates to the town of Hallstatt.

   

   The historic map image contains detail about individual buildings in Hallstatt at the time. An image such as this could be used as a background image to track growth and changes in the area over time. For instance, you could compare it to the DSM, which contains information about modern structures, to see how the town has developed in the past 200 years.

8. In the Contents pane, right-click Hallstatt_HistoricDrawing.JP2 and choose Zoom To Layer.

   

   You return to the full extent of the image.

Clip the rasters

You are only interested in the town of Hallstatt, so you only need the raster layers to show the town and the areas just outside it. You'll clip the three raster datasets (the historic map image, the DSM, and the DEM) using the Clip Raster tool. Rather than run the tool three times, you'll run the tool in batch mode to process the three images at the same time.

Note:

The Clip Raster tool is different from the Clip tool, which clips only feature classes (vector layers). To learn how to clip a feature class, try the Clip features to a region tutorial.

1. On the ribbon, click the Analysis tab. In the Geoprocessing group, click Tools.

   

   The Geoprocessing pane appears.

2. In the Geoprocessing pane, in the search bar, type Clip Raster.

   The tool appears in the search results. You'll choose the option to run the tool in batch mode.

3. In the search results, right-click Clip Raster and choose Batch.

   

   The Batch Clip Raster tool opens. By default, Choose a batch parameter is set to Input Raster, meaning that when the Clip Raster tool is run as a batch, it will clip a list of rasters one after the other.

   

   For the other parameters, Make temporary batch tool is selected, as you'll only use the batch process once. To create a reusable tool, you can choose the Save the batch tool option.

4. Click Next.

   The Parameters tab opens.

5. For Batch Input Raster, click the Add Many button.

   

6. Check the check boxes for all three raster layers and click Add.

   The raster layers are added as the input layers.

   

   Next, you'll set the output location. By default, the location is the project geodatabase, but raster layers can't be saved in a geodatabase. You'll set the output location to the project folder instead.

7. For Output Raster Dataset, click the Browse button.

   

8. In the Output Raster Dataset window, under Project, expand Folders. Click Hallstatt_Clip.

   

   Next, you'll set the output name. Because you're creating multiple outputs, you'll give each output a unique name based on the input layer being clipped.

9. For Name, type Clip_%Name%.tif.

   

   The notation %Name% means that each output layer will include the name of its input layer, ensuring that the outputs have unique names.

10. Click OK.

    Next, you'll choose the boundary layer to clip the raster layers to.

11. For Output Extent, choose Hallstatt_Boundary.

    When you set the output extent to a feature class, the Rectangle parameters are updated with the bounding box coordinates of the feature class. In addition, a new Use Input Features for Clipping Geometry check box is added. This parameter ensures that the tool specifically uses the extent of the polygon representing the Hallstatt boundary as the clipping geometry, instead of using the extent of the entire feature class, which could be larger.

12. Check the Use Input Features for Clipping Geometry check box.

    

13. Click Run.

    The tool runs. After it finishes, the three clipped layers are added to the map and the Contents pane.

    

    You no longer need the unclipped layers, so you'll remove them.

14. In the Contents pane, right-click Hallstatt_HistoricDrawing.JP2 and choose Remove. Remove Hallstatt_DEM.tif and Hallstatt_DSM.tif.

    You'll examine the clipped layers in more detail.

15. On the ribbon, click the Map tab. In the Navigate group, click Bookmarks and choose Hallstatt.

    The layers have been clipped to a small area surrounding Hallstatt. The DSM is on top.

    

    Note:

    Some of the extents of the clipped layers differ slightly due to the different pixel sizes of the inputs.

16. In the Contents pane, uncheck the Clip_Hallstatt_DSM_tif.tif and Clip_Hallstatt_DEM_tif.tif check boxes.

    The historic map image has also been clipped to the area of interest.

    

17. Close the Geoprocessing pane. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click the Save Project button.

    

Share the results

Lastly, you'll share the results as a project package. A project package contains all of the layers in the project in one file, making it useful for sharing multiple layers.

1. On the ribbon, click the Share tab. In the Package group, click the Project button.

   

   The Package Project pane appears. You have the option to save the project package to ArcGIS Online or to a file on your computer. For this tutorial, you'll save it to a file.

2. In the Package Project pane, for Start Packaging, choose Save package to file.

   

3. Under Item Details, for Name, click the Browse button. Browse to a location on your computer of your choice, such as your Documents folder.
4. For Name, type Hallstatt_Layers_Clipped.ppkx. Click Save.
5. For Summary, type (or copy and paste) the following text:

   This project package contains raster layers clipped to the town of Hallstatt. The package includes a DEM, DSM, and historical map.

6. For Tags, type imagery, boundary, and Austria, pressing Enter after each tag.
7. Uncheck the Include Toolboxes and Include History Items check boxes.

   Now that all the information is entered, the next step is for the tool to analyze the content to verify that it is all set to create the package successfully.

8. Click Analyze.

   

   The data is analyzed for errors that might affect packaging. In this case, no errors are found.

9. Click Package.

   Note:

   If you receive a notification that the project has been changed and needs to be saved, click Yes to save the project.

   When the package is successfully created, a notification appears at the bottom of the Package Project pane.

10. Click the Manage the package link.

    

    The folder containing the package appears.

In this tutorial, you clipped multiple raster layers to an area of interest. Clipping data is a fundamental ArcGIS workflow and has a wide variety of applications. It is often a preliminary step for data that is ready for visualization and analysis.

For more tutorials about working with imagery layers, try the Prepare imagery and raster data for analysis series.

You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.

Acknowledgements

• Hallstatt data and imagery: State of Upper Austria
• World Topographic Map sources: Esri, TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community
• World Hillshade layer sources: Esri, Vantor, Airbus DS, USGS, NGA, NASA, CGIAR, N Robinson, NCEAS, NLS, OS, NMA, Geodatastyrelsen, Rijkswaterstaat, GSA, Geoland, FEMA, Intermap, and the GIS user community